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Structural adjustment and the environment
288
Book reviews
supply’, and that in terms of indigenous natural resources the EC is ‘not much better off’ than Japan. Perhaps worst of all, given that the book’s readers are not meant to be environmen~di specialists, is the Steads’ claim that there were ‘nuclear meltdowns’ at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. At least the book’s polemical stance is not covert :
. . the current economic paradigm has had a destructive impact on the natural environment, favors egoism over the moral standards of the greater community, has led lo incredible abuses of power, and has reduced the ability of the United States to compete in the global market place (p. 86). Maybe, maybe not; the point is that the way the Steads set about supposing their views is unconvincing. As the above examples suggest, their understanding of the resource and environmental problems that they are so concerned about is cursory. The same is more or less true of the economic aspects covered, for there the focus is much too narrow and the debate raised not current. The book relies far too much on the work of H. E. Daly and E. F. Schumacher, never really moving beyond the old arguments about growth/ anti-growth, socially useful production and SUStainabie steady-state economics. Such debates did indeed inform the fears of environmentalists, but so much has happened since to address their concern constructively. To pick up only the book’s main theme, consider the concept of sustainability which the Steads call ‘the transcendent core value’. They state opinions about global environmental problems, third world-developed world relations and the ills (only the ills) of the current economic system without once mentioning the Brundtiand Report, Our common future, let alone much work that is less significant and more specialized. Any business student or manager interested in an introduction and overview about a sustainable future and looking for insights into the reasons for our failure to adopt a ‘new ecologically and morally sensitive economic paradigm’, in the Steads phrase, would do much better to look at Our common future than the Steads sincerely conceived book. Peter L. Owens Department ofGeography, University of Sheffield
Reed, D. (ed.) Structural adjustment and the environment. London: Earthscan in association with World Wide Fund for Nature, 1992. 224~~. f15 paperback. Scarcity necessitates choices, many of which can have painful, potentially long-term consequences.
So it is that financial constraints can often force countries into a difficult process of prioritization. The observation that reductions in government spending fail most heavily on en~ronmentai budgets should come as no surprise in developed or developing countries. Yet such causality is perhaps the clearest and least equivocal link between structural adjustment and environmental degradation. ” As nart of WWF’s mission of self redefinition, few o;her areas of research could be as perilous. One might suspect a predetermined conclusion preceded by a good dose of multilateral bashing. The calibre of the research input, linking the London Environmental Economics team with local institutions in CBte d’Ivoire, Mexico and Thailand dispels this notion. Objectivity is apparent in a clear unpartisan description of the origins of the debt crisis, which charts a familiar route through oil shocks, recycled petrodollars, spiralhng external debt and ultimately multilateral conditionality. Focusing principally on the macroeconomic fail-out of the latter, case study material based on the differing experiences of the aforementioned countries attempts to clarify the multiple links between the commonly prescribed adjustment programmes and their impact on natural resources. A summary conclusion is followed by a list of recommendations for integrating environmental policy into macroeconomic planning; summary tables provide a quick reference to many of the issues on a sectoral basis. Unsurprisingly the level of uncertainty means that few of the findings are unqualified. Indeed, were readers not frequently reminded of the more unambiguous policy failings-many of which are not strictly related to the adjustment process. such as well-defined property rights-it might be possible to conclude that structural adjustment did as much good as harm. Removal of implicit irrigation subsidies in Thailand, for example, are said to reduce waterlogging and salinization-a clear policy benefit. Paradoxically. export taxes on rice in the same country are said to distort agricultural incentives in favour of crops which are less protective of the soil, while their removal will encourage increased use of agrochemicais and push rubber cultivation onto higher. more erodible slopes. The poverty-degradation link is far from clear. More worrying is the conclusion from one country that structural adjustment policies ‘reduced resource depletion and environmental degradation per unit of output but because overall output increased, overall environmental quality declined’. This is implicitly a no-win situation in the absence of a zero-growth economy. There are several noteworthy criticisms to be made for the purpose of clarity. Bug-bear terms, notably ‘sustainability’ (as in ‘putting a country on a sustainable path’), ‘optimal’ and ‘efficiency’, are all used liberally with imprecise or no definition.
Book reviews Discussion of deforestation in C&e d’Ivoire lurches clumsily into an optimal control model which is not clarified in a technical annexe on modelling. The ‘what are the right prices’ box is incongruous and scant, and an index might also have been helpful. Further work in this area has apparently been commissioned. It will be of interest to see whether additional case studies can be any more definitive or whether the evidence will merely underscore the current verdict of case not proven. Dominic Moran Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University College London
rather than of the message. On the positive side, reference is made to a wide range of recent and diverse publications and semi-publications; the volume would be useful for this reason alone. Overall, this is a sober and balanced review of a subject that often gives rise to strong feelings. It is a valuable addition to the limited but growing literature on the subject. Whilst it is certainly of interest to those concerned with the social, political, economic and developmental aspects of plantations, it is to be hoped that it will also become required reading for those involved in the silvicultural and technical aspects of planted forests. A. S. Mather Department of Geography,
Sargent, C. and Bass, S. (eds) Plantation politics: forest plantations in development. London: Earthscan, 1992. 191 pp. f12.95 paperback. Issues of political economy are far more important than technical issues as determinants of the nature and success of plantation programmes. This assertion, made on p. 147, epitomizes the content and viewpoint of this interesting volume of essays. The first substantive chapter compares natural forest and plantation as sources of wood and other goods and services, and reaches the unsurprising but nevertheless welcome conclusion that they ought to be complementary to each other. A wide-ranging review of ‘forest plantations in history’ then follows, concluding with an attempt to draw lessons from history and to identify the factors that have encouraged and discouraged the establishment of industrial plantations. The question ‘how much wood do we need?’ is then addressed in a lively chapter, in which it is concluded that expected consumption over the next century could be sustained if planting rates were to increase by 20-30 per cent over estimated present levels. Chapters on the social aspects of plantations and on the quest for sustainable practice then follow, leading to a punchy and well-balanced set of conclusions on the appropriateness of plantations and their advantages and disadvantages. As in most edited volumes, the quality and strength of the individual chapters vary, as do their breadth and depth. The reader seeking comprehensive data on the extent, distribution, ownership and type of forest plantations will be disappointed. Whilst the main aim of the book is not to present such material, a stronger information base would certainly help to provide a fuller context for the discussion, and could permit arguments to be developed more strongly. The inclusion of ‘boxes’, outlining specific issues and case studies, contributes more at some times than at others, Occasionally it leads to a slight sense of scrappiness, but this is a criticism of the medium
289
University of Aberdeen
Mintzer, I. M. (ed.) Corzfronting climatic change: risks, implications and responses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 382~~. f50 hardback; f19.95 paperback. Following its publication of the IPCC statement on global warming, the CUP has published two more detailed reviews of the consequences, of which this is the most recent. There is a useful update and elaboration of the scientific case for forecasting enhanced global warming in the five opening essays. These include the critical issue of ‘detection’ addressed by Tom Wigley and others, and two or three excellent essays on the science of the climatic relationships, feedbacks, sensitivities and so on. The remaining 18 contributions fall into four sections: impacts (from sea-level rise to population), energy use and technology, economics and the role of institutions, and equity considerations and future negotiations (including the NorthSouth issue). There are two brief annexes on data, a useful glossary and a good index. For anyone abreast of the literature there is little wholly new here, but the volume does summarize a wide range of important topics and it would form an admirable background for anyone teaching the subject (as I hope some are!). Some of the fairly detailed economic topics seemed particularly well done, such as Pachauri and Damodaran on ‘Wait and See’ versus ‘No Regrets’, or the discussion by Jochem and Hohmeyer of ‘The economics of near-term reductions in greenhouse gases’. Conversely, it seems to be hard to say much that is new on sea-level change or agriculture, whilst the chapter on weather-related natural disasters, while of interest, has a very slender link to the theme, since the problems are as much those of population growth as of changing weather conditions. My suspicion is that this volume indicates that the possibilities in wide-ranging reviews of this type are about exhausted and that a period of
Book reviews
supply’, and that in terms of indigenous natural resources the EC is ‘not much better off’ than Japan. Perhaps worst of all, given that the book’s readers are not meant to be environmen~di specialists, is the Steads’ claim that there were ‘nuclear meltdowns’ at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. At least the book’s polemical stance is not covert :
. . the current economic paradigm has had a destructive impact on the natural environment, favors egoism over the moral standards of the greater community, has led lo incredible abuses of power, and has reduced the ability of the United States to compete in the global market place (p. 86). Maybe, maybe not; the point is that the way the Steads set about supposing their views is unconvincing. As the above examples suggest, their understanding of the resource and environmental problems that they are so concerned about is cursory. The same is more or less true of the economic aspects covered, for there the focus is much too narrow and the debate raised not current. The book relies far too much on the work of H. E. Daly and E. F. Schumacher, never really moving beyond the old arguments about growth/ anti-growth, socially useful production and SUStainabie steady-state economics. Such debates did indeed inform the fears of environmentalists, but so much has happened since to address their concern constructively. To pick up only the book’s main theme, consider the concept of sustainability which the Steads call ‘the transcendent core value’. They state opinions about global environmental problems, third world-developed world relations and the ills (only the ills) of the current economic system without once mentioning the Brundtiand Report, Our common future, let alone much work that is less significant and more specialized. Any business student or manager interested in an introduction and overview about a sustainable future and looking for insights into the reasons for our failure to adopt a ‘new ecologically and morally sensitive economic paradigm’, in the Steads phrase, would do much better to look at Our common future than the Steads sincerely conceived book. Peter L. Owens Department ofGeography, University of Sheffield
Reed, D. (ed.) Structural adjustment and the environment. London: Earthscan in association with World Wide Fund for Nature, 1992. 224~~. f15 paperback. Scarcity necessitates choices, many of which can have painful, potentially long-term consequences.
So it is that financial constraints can often force countries into a difficult process of prioritization. The observation that reductions in government spending fail most heavily on en~ronmentai budgets should come as no surprise in developed or developing countries. Yet such causality is perhaps the clearest and least equivocal link between structural adjustment and environmental degradation. ” As nart of WWF’s mission of self redefinition, few o;her areas of research could be as perilous. One might suspect a predetermined conclusion preceded by a good dose of multilateral bashing. The calibre of the research input, linking the London Environmental Economics team with local institutions in CBte d’Ivoire, Mexico and Thailand dispels this notion. Objectivity is apparent in a clear unpartisan description of the origins of the debt crisis, which charts a familiar route through oil shocks, recycled petrodollars, spiralhng external debt and ultimately multilateral conditionality. Focusing principally on the macroeconomic fail-out of the latter, case study material based on the differing experiences of the aforementioned countries attempts to clarify the multiple links between the commonly prescribed adjustment programmes and their impact on natural resources. A summary conclusion is followed by a list of recommendations for integrating environmental policy into macroeconomic planning; summary tables provide a quick reference to many of the issues on a sectoral basis. Unsurprisingly the level of uncertainty means that few of the findings are unqualified. Indeed, were readers not frequently reminded of the more unambiguous policy failings-many of which are not strictly related to the adjustment process. such as well-defined property rights-it might be possible to conclude that structural adjustment did as much good as harm. Removal of implicit irrigation subsidies in Thailand, for example, are said to reduce waterlogging and salinization-a clear policy benefit. Paradoxically. export taxes on rice in the same country are said to distort agricultural incentives in favour of crops which are less protective of the soil, while their removal will encourage increased use of agrochemicais and push rubber cultivation onto higher. more erodible slopes. The poverty-degradation link is far from clear. More worrying is the conclusion from one country that structural adjustment policies ‘reduced resource depletion and environmental degradation per unit of output but because overall output increased, overall environmental quality declined’. This is implicitly a no-win situation in the absence of a zero-growth economy. There are several noteworthy criticisms to be made for the purpose of clarity. Bug-bear terms, notably ‘sustainability’ (as in ‘putting a country on a sustainable path’), ‘optimal’ and ‘efficiency’, are all used liberally with imprecise or no definition.
Book reviews Discussion of deforestation in C&e d’Ivoire lurches clumsily into an optimal control model which is not clarified in a technical annexe on modelling. The ‘what are the right prices’ box is incongruous and scant, and an index might also have been helpful. Further work in this area has apparently been commissioned. It will be of interest to see whether additional case studies can be any more definitive or whether the evidence will merely underscore the current verdict of case not proven. Dominic Moran Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University College London
rather than of the message. On the positive side, reference is made to a wide range of recent and diverse publications and semi-publications; the volume would be useful for this reason alone. Overall, this is a sober and balanced review of a subject that often gives rise to strong feelings. It is a valuable addition to the limited but growing literature on the subject. Whilst it is certainly of interest to those concerned with the social, political, economic and developmental aspects of plantations, it is to be hoped that it will also become required reading for those involved in the silvicultural and technical aspects of planted forests. A. S. Mather Department of Geography,
Sargent, C. and Bass, S. (eds) Plantation politics: forest plantations in development. London: Earthscan, 1992. 191 pp. f12.95 paperback. Issues of political economy are far more important than technical issues as determinants of the nature and success of plantation programmes. This assertion, made on p. 147, epitomizes the content and viewpoint of this interesting volume of essays. The first substantive chapter compares natural forest and plantation as sources of wood and other goods and services, and reaches the unsurprising but nevertheless welcome conclusion that they ought to be complementary to each other. A wide-ranging review of ‘forest plantations in history’ then follows, concluding with an attempt to draw lessons from history and to identify the factors that have encouraged and discouraged the establishment of industrial plantations. The question ‘how much wood do we need?’ is then addressed in a lively chapter, in which it is concluded that expected consumption over the next century could be sustained if planting rates were to increase by 20-30 per cent over estimated present levels. Chapters on the social aspects of plantations and on the quest for sustainable practice then follow, leading to a punchy and well-balanced set of conclusions on the appropriateness of plantations and their advantages and disadvantages. As in most edited volumes, the quality and strength of the individual chapters vary, as do their breadth and depth. The reader seeking comprehensive data on the extent, distribution, ownership and type of forest plantations will be disappointed. Whilst the main aim of the book is not to present such material, a stronger information base would certainly help to provide a fuller context for the discussion, and could permit arguments to be developed more strongly. The inclusion of ‘boxes’, outlining specific issues and case studies, contributes more at some times than at others, Occasionally it leads to a slight sense of scrappiness, but this is a criticism of the medium
289
University of Aberdeen
Mintzer, I. M. (ed.) Corzfronting climatic change: risks, implications and responses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 382~~. f50 hardback; f19.95 paperback. Following its publication of the IPCC statement on global warming, the CUP has published two more detailed reviews of the consequences, of which this is the most recent. There is a useful update and elaboration of the scientific case for forecasting enhanced global warming in the five opening essays. These include the critical issue of ‘detection’ addressed by Tom Wigley and others, and two or three excellent essays on the science of the climatic relationships, feedbacks, sensitivities and so on. The remaining 18 contributions fall into four sections: impacts (from sea-level rise to population), energy use and technology, economics and the role of institutions, and equity considerations and future negotiations (including the NorthSouth issue). There are two brief annexes on data, a useful glossary and a good index. For anyone abreast of the literature there is little wholly new here, but the volume does summarize a wide range of important topics and it would form an admirable background for anyone teaching the subject (as I hope some are!). Some of the fairly detailed economic topics seemed particularly well done, such as Pachauri and Damodaran on ‘Wait and See’ versus ‘No Regrets’, or the discussion by Jochem and Hohmeyer of ‘The economics of near-term reductions in greenhouse gases’. Conversely, it seems to be hard to say much that is new on sea-level change or agriculture, whilst the chapter on weather-related natural disasters, while of interest, has a very slender link to the theme, since the problems are as much those of population growth as of changing weather conditions. My suspicion is that this volume indicates that the possibilities in wide-ranging reviews of this type are about exhausted and that a period of